India, Japan, and the BIMSTEC Countries: What Lies at Stake?

In Bangkok, the recent Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation summit, commonly known as BIMSTEC, provides a good opportunity for the leaders of the member countries to meet on a common platform. The BIMSTEC region is home to roughly 1.73 billion people and has a combined gross domestic product of $5.2 trillion USD. It was established in June 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.  During his speech at the recent BIMSTEC Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that 'BIMSTEC serves as a vital bridge between South and Southeast Asia, and is emerging as a powerful